


Empty Nest

by Esq2005



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2019-10-28 17:52:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17792003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esq2005/pseuds/Esq2005
Summary: Mulder and Scully return home from the events in Norfolk and find their lives and family take an unexpected turn.





	1. Chapter 1

After making sure Skinner and Monica were stabilized and headed, by ambulance, to the hospital in downtown Norfolk, Mulder led a cold, exhausted and dazed Scully to his Mustang. Although they had discussed renting a hotel room for the night, they ultimately decided they would both rather just make the three hour drive from Norfolk to their unremarkable house in Farrs Corner.  
It was a quiet drive, and Mulder noticed that Scully had fallen asleep before they had even made it north of Williamsburg. Mulder had felt devastated after seeing the Smoking Man shoot William-Jackson- and Jackson falling into the cold water of the Elizabeth River. He felt equally confused by the things Scully had said that pier immediately after. Does she really believe William wasn't their son? That he was an experiment? Like Emily? Even if he was an experiment, he was still their son, and he deserved to be mourned. Scully believes that too. Mulder knew she did.  
Then there was the other thing Scully told him on the pier. For that he felt excited and hopeful and not just a little bit shocked and bewildered. How was it possible that Scully could be pregnant? At their age and with her history? It was really too much to process right now. Mulder’s first priority was getting them home. He and Scully would figure out together, how they move forwarded from here.  
Mulder glanced over at Scully, still sleeping in the passenger seat. Her face was furrowed, and she appeared to be dreaming.  
**************  
Mulder and Scully sat on a picnic blanket in the tall grass of their front yard, soaking up the mid-day sun and warmth. Scully wore a sundress and Mulder wore jeans and a t-shirt. Further into the yard, about 20 or 30 feet from the edge of the picnic blanket, Jackson was playing with two little girls. One was older and he was swinging her around by her arms. The other was barely big enough to toddle around beside them. Jackson looked over to where Mulder and Scully sat and smiled at Scully as their eyes met. Jackson walked closer to Scully and bent down to speak to her. “I’m okay. Don’t be sad and don’t worry. I’m fine.”  
********  
Scully awoke with a start and immediately noticed the sound of gravel under the cars tires.

“It’s ok, Scully. We’re home.” Mulder said as he reached over to gently touch Scully’s knee.

Scully looked around, taking in her surroundings and finally said “wow, I slept the whole trip?”

“Yeah,” Mulder said softly. “How do you feel?”

“I’m not really sure. I should probably eat something, though. I can't remember what the last thing I ate was, and I am beginning to feel a little sick.”

“Ok. Let’s go inside and see what we can find.” Mulder suggested.

Mulder opened the drivers side door and got out of the car, before walking around the car to open Scully’s door and reaching for her hand. Scully took Mulder’s hand, and they walked slowly into their house. Scully had moved back in with Mulder full-time about three weeks ago. The damage to the house she had been renting closer to the city was extensive, so her landlord had offered to let her out of her lease. She believed the timing must have been serendipitous, because she had already decided that she was ready to come home and be with Mulder.

“Sit, Scully,” Mulder said as they entered their kitchen, “and I’ll fix you something to eat. What sounds good?”

“Nothing, really.” Scully sighed as she sat down at the kitchen table, “Do we have any soup? Maybe some crackers to go with it? Oh, and a glass of milk.”

“That certainly sounds easy enough.” Mulder announced as he went to work preparing Scully’s meal.

“Mulder?”

“Yeah?”

“I think he’s still alive.”

"What are you talking about, Scully?”

“William...well, Jackson. I think he’s still alive. No, I know he’s alive.” Scully said softly, as tears began to prick her tired eyes. “I had a dream, in the car just now, but I don’t think it was just a dream. I think it was a vision. From him. I feel it. I feel him...alive.”

“I hope your right, Scully,” Mulder said as he set a bowl of soup and glass of milk in front of her. “But I saw Spender shoot him. He fell into the river. I don’t know how anyone could survive that. And even if he is alive, and I hope to hell he is, Scully, but you said yourself, he wants us to let him go.”

Scully nodded. “I know. I’m not saying I think we should go look for him. I just hope he continues to reach out to me, to us, somehow. And then maybe , when he’s ready, he  
might try to find us.”

“Me too.” Mulder was beginning to lose his battle with exhaustion. “It’s 2:45 a.m. Are you just about ready for bed?”

Scully nodded as she finished the last bite of soup and emptied her glass of milk. “Thank you for the soup. Hopefully, having some food in me will keep me from feeling as sick when I wake up in the morning.”

Mulder suddenly had a million questions about Scully and the baby, but it didn’t seem like the right time to inundate her with them. So instead, he cleared her dishes from the table, placed them in the sink, and then took her hand and led her upstairs to their bedroom.

Once in the bedroom, they both began to shed the clothes that were dirty with the stench of the events from earlier that evening.

“Do you want to shower now or after you wake up?” Mulder asked Scully.

“After I wake up.”

With that, they both crawled into bed wearing nothing but their underwear. Mulder scooted close behind Scully and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back against his chest. He buried his face in her hair and breathed her in, finally finding some comfort and rest for his weary body and mind. He let his hand drift from the spot under her breasts where it had settled, down to her abdomen where she had placed it herself on the dock in Norfolk. He rubbed her belly softly and noticed a small but definite swell. He wondered how he hadn’t noticed before.

“How long have you known?” He whispered.

“The day you left to find Jackson. I was coming home to tell you when Monica called.”

“When? I mean, how far along are you?”

“Eleven weeks, I think. Mulder, I am almost all the way through the first trimester, and I didn’t even realize. It's still so hard to believe”

“So eleven weeks? Henrico County?” Mulder asks with a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I love you, Scully.”

“I know, Mulder. I love you, too.”

It was only a couple of minutes before they both surrendered to sleep.  
\----------

Scully awoke to the bright light of morning, at least she thought it was still morning, filling their bedroom. Mulder was still wrapped tightly around her and she could hear him snoring lightly against her ear. She desperately needed to pee, and she was hungry. That nauseous kind of hungry that every pregnant woman knows means trouble if not dealt with quickly. She knew she’d need to eat soon or the nausea would only get worse.

She untangled herself from Mulder’s warm arms and legs and slipped out of bed. The clock on her nightstand told her it was 10:30. She headed to the bathroom to empty her bladder and then grabbed a robe and headed downstairs. Once in the kitchen, she fixed herself some toast and a cup of tea. She figured that would be a good start. She sat at the kitchen table eating her toast, when the quiet stillness she was enjoying was interrupted by the ringing of their house landline. Scully stood quickly to answer it before the ringing woke Mulder.

“Hello.”

“Agent Scully?”

“Speaking. Who is this?”

“It’s Alvin Kersh. I’m glad I got you.”

“Sir, if this is about last night, Agent Mulder and I can come in to meet with you later this week to talk about everything, but today is not a good day.” Scully explained.

“Oh, I expect to see you and Agent Mulder in my office before the end of the week, but that’s not why I called.”

“It’s not?”

“Agent Scully,” Kersh began, “I was contacted by the Virginia Department of Children and Families. They were hoping I could put them in touch with you and Agent Mulder.”

“Sir, I don’t understand. What would the Virginia DCF want with us?”

“Well, as it turns out, Jackson Van de Kamp has a 10 year old sister. The Van da Kamps adopted her, as an infant, when Jackson was 7 years old. Apparently, she was sleeping over at a friend’s house the night her parents were killed. She has been staying with the friend's family for the past several weeks, but they have no interest or ability to foster her long term.”

“I...I don’t know what to say. I had no idea the Van de Kamps adopted again and that Jackson had a sibling. No one mentioned it.”

“I think the authorities have tried to keep it pretty quiet, in order to assess whether she was in any danger, after the attack on her family.”

“That makes sense, but I still don’t understand what this has to do with me or Mulder.”

“Apparently, both Mr. and Mrs. Van de Kamps’ parents are deceased, and Mr. Van de Kamp was an only child. Mrs. Van de Kamp has one sister who was named in their will as guardian to both children. However, since they executed their wills, the sister was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It has been particularly aggressive and she was recently moved into an assisted living facility.”

Scully, still confused, remained quiet, waiting for Kersh to continue.

“Well, DCF has been in contact with the hospital in Norfolk and was provided the DNA tests that were run on Jackson Van de Kamp right after the shooting. The sample run against you and the sample run against Agent Mulder, both being matches as Jackson’s birth parents.”

Scully stopped short at Kersh's last words. “Wait. There was a DNA test run on Mulder and Jackson in the hospital in Norfolk?”

“That is the information I was provided by Virginia DCF. Is that not right?”

“I’m actually not sure." Scully said thoughtfully. "It all happened so fast, and Mulder was the one who went to the lab.”

“Regardless, Virginia DCF feels that as Jackson’s birth parents, you and Agent Mulder May be the closest thing to a family placement for the girl. And they are hoping to find a family member to place her with, because she is approaching an age where it becomes increasingly harder to find foster parents, and she could easily end up in a group home, otherwise.”

"She was born when Jackson was seven, so she's ten?" Scully said softly, more thinking aloud than anything else.

"That would be right." Kersh answered.

Scully felt a knot form in the pit of stomach. She had no idea what to even do with this information. After several seconds of silence, she finally found her words. “What about the little girls’ birth parents?”

“Well, they have no information on her birth father and her birth mother is in prison. There is a maternal grandmother, but she would never pass DCFs screening process. Apparently, she has a fairly lengthy legal record herself. Agent Scully, I am confident that if they had any other options, they have explored them.”  
Scully exhaled slowly. Still unable to process this conversation.

“I told them I would pass their contact information along to you. If you have any interest in speaking with them, you can call them. Do you want the number, Agent Scully?”

“Umm, yeah, I guess.” Scully stammered as she grabbed a pen and pad from the kitchen counter.

“The case worker I spoke with is Ryan Malloy, and his number in Richmond is (850)555-6823. Do with the information what you wish. And Agent Scully, I expect I WILL see you and Agent Mulder by the end of the week.”

“Yes, sir. You will. Thank you.”

“Goodbye, Agent Scully.”

“Goodbye, Sir.”

Still stunned and confused, Scully finished her toast and tea. Knowing she couldn’t really do anything more with what Kersh had said until she talked to Mulder, she decided to call the hospital in Norfolk to check on Skinner and Monica. The hospital informed her that other than a lot of scrapes and bruises, Skinner’s only real injury was a broken leg that would require surgery which was scheduled for later that afternoon. She asked them to let her know if anything changed and that she would check back in after his surgery. Monica had had emergency surgery last night and was in ICU in stable condition. Again, she asked that she be provided with updates and promised to check on her condition again in a few hours.

After hanging up the phone with the hospital, Scully couldn’t help but think of the dream she had last night and the two little girls Jackson had been playing with. One was clearly a baby. Her and Mulder’s baby? But the other was an older child. If that ‘dream’ was a vision being sent to her from Jackson, was that Jackson’s sister at Mulder and Scully’s house with Jackson and their new baby?

Scully was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Mulder’s footsteps coming down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Mulder followed the intoxicating smell to the coffee maker where he found a fresh, full pot of coffee waiting.

“You made coffee?” He asked Scully suspiciously.

“I made it for you. I’m having decaffeinated tea.” She replied with a soft smile.

"Oh. Well, thank you." Mulder poured himself a cup of coffee and circled around to sit down at the table across from Scully.

“Want to talk?” Mulder murmured quietly.

Scully chuckled. “I wouldn't even begin to know where to start?”

After several seconds of thoughtful silence from both of them, Scully found her voice again, “Mulder?”

"Yeah?"

“That night in the morgue, in Norfolk, with Jackson. Was it just my DNA that was tested against his or was your DNA tested too?”

Mulder met Scully's eyes as he thought back to that night. “Hmm. Actually, I'm surprised I haven’t told you about this before, but it didn’t really seem significant at the time. I took the two samples you gave me down to the hospital’s lab and told the woman working there what we needed.” Mulder began. “She was curt and seemed really busy and without a lot of patience for the interruption. I explained that the swab was from the mother and the lock of hair was from the child. Right after I told her that, she looked at me suspiciously and said ‘and you are?’” Mulder’s breath hitched. “Without even thinking, I said ‘the father’. The next thing I knew, she was shoving a sterile swab kit at me and telling me to swab my cheek, too. I just did as I was told. She wasn't the type of woman I was about to argue with.”

Scully smiled and let out another sweet chuckle as tears began to fill her eyes.

“Scully,” Mulder pleaded, “You had an amniocentesis when you were pregnant with him. This has never been a question in your mind.”

“I know, but nothing that happened during my pregnancy was ever much comfort to me. I didn’t feel like I could trust anyone or anything,” Scully explained, still emotional. “For the Smoking Man to have said those things, and Skinner to have believed him. It was all just too much.” Scully’s tears began to fall in earnest. “I’m sorry for the things I said on the dock last night. I didn’t mean any of it. I was hurt and confused, and I really wanted to honor Jackson’s request that we let him go. But he was, he is, our son, Mulder. Both of ours.”

“I know,” Mulder said almost in a whisper. “We may never know how we were able to conceive our son, and we may never understand the extraordinary abilities he has or why he has them. But the fact that we both love him, and always have, has never been in question.”

Scully nodded and smiled at Mulder through her wet eyes. A comfortable silence settled between them as Mulder sipped on his coffee and Scully sipped on her tea. 

Mulder was the first to break the silence. “Did I hear you talking to someone when I was coming down the stairs?” he asked as he started to stand up from the table.

"A lot of people, actually."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Just before you came down, I had called the hospital in Norfolk to check on Monica and Skinner's conditions. Skinner is doing well. He is scheduled for surgery on his broken leg later today. Monica's condition is still serious, but she is hanging in there and the doctor's treating her seem relatively optimistic."

"That all sounds like pretty good news. You said, 'a lot of people'? Was there someone else?"

“Uh, yes, actually. And Mulder, you may want to sit back down for this one.”

Mulder shot Scully a questioning look, finished refilling his coffee mug and then crossed back to the table to take his place across from Scully. 

“Kersh called the house phone a little while ago.” Scully began.

“Oh.” Mulder said softly. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Scully. I planned on putting that off, for both of us, for at least a couple more days.”

“Actually, that wasn’t why he was calling. Although, we are supposed to go see him in his office before the end of the week.”

“If he didn’t call to ream us out and fire us, what in the hell did he want? I don’t imagine he just called our house to chat about the weather.”

“Well...he was calling because he was asked by the Virginia Department of Children and Families to contact us.”

Mulder furrowed his brow, clearly surprised by what Scully was saying.

“Apparently, Jackson has a sister. Mulder, the Van de Kamps adopted another infant, about ten years ago.” Scully was becoming visibly emotional again, “and now she’s an orphan.”

“I don't understand. How did we not know about her? No one has mentioned this before. Where is she?” Mulder questioned.

“She was spending the night at a friend’s house the night her parents were shot. The night Jackson ran off. She has been with her friend’s family for the past few weeks, but they aren’t interested in keeping her permanently. I guess the local authorities were keeping her existence as quiet as possible in order to assess the threat to her safety. I’m sure Jackson was thinking the same thing. He didn’t want to bring any attention to her for fear of putting her in danger.”

“Ok. But why is DCF looking for us?”

“They want us to take her, Mulder. I guess the Van de Kamps don’t have any immediate family besides a sister of Mrs. Van de Kamp who is confined to an assisted living facility.”

"Hold on, now. Wait just a second. Why would they want us to take her?"

“Our DNA tests were provided to DCF with the rest of Jackson’s records. I guess they feel that as Jackson’s birth parents, we are the closest thing to a family placement for her that they’ll be able to find.”

“What about her birth parents?”

“Not an option. Her birth mother is in jail and no one seems to know who her birth father is.” Scully continued, almost pleading, “She is ten, Mulder. Almost a pre-teen. At her age, permanent placement through the foster care system could prove difficult. We may be the only thing standing between her and a group home.”

Mulder exhaled loudly as he leaned his head forward and ran both hands through his hair, before he slowly lifted his head and began to speak.

“Dana,” Scully knew the use of her first name was not a good sign, “listen to yourself.” Mulder continued with shock and a little frustration. “Our son may or may not have died last night. You are 54 and just told me you’re pregnant. Now this? Don’t you find this a little too much to process in one 24-hour period?”

“I know. I feel just as overwhelmed, maybe even more so.” Scully continues, in barely above a whisper,“it sounds crazy, especially with everything else happening. But I can’t stop thinking about Jackson. William. I think he would want her to be with us; for us to take care of her and keep her safe. He must be really worried about her.”

Mulder sighed, knowing this was likely not a battle he was going to win. “Are we even qualified to adopt a kid? I’m not even sure either of us has a job anymore.”

“Kersh gave me the name and number of the gentleman at DCF that wants to speak with us. Maybe, as a start, we can just call him and find out what he has to say.” Scully smiled softly at Mulder. “And by the way, I still have my job at the hospital. I’ve just been on a sabbatical, so I can go back whenever I’m ready.”

“Let’s have some breakfast, and then, if it’s what you want, you can call and talk to this guy at DCF and find out what it is he has to say.”

Scully smiled, a little bit from the prospect of saving Jackson's sister, a little bit from sleep deprived delirium and a little bit from pure shock over the events of the past 24 hours.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The week following everything that had happened in Norfolk was extraordinarily busy for Mulder and Scully. Skinner was transferred to a D.C. hospital for his recovery from the surgery on his broken leg. Scully was there to oversee his care in an unofficial capacity. By mid-week he was recovering well and continually asking when he could go home and back to work. Scully tried to check in on him everyday.

Mulder accompanied Scully to her first real prenatal check-up. He was excited to be able experience the things he had missed with William, so he sat dutifully next to the exam table and rubbed circles along the top of Scully’s hand as he held it in his own. The main purpose of this week’s appointment was for the doctor to go over the results of the dating ultrasound and the noninvasive prenatal test blood work Scully had done at the appointment in which she had confirmed her pregnancy.

“Good morning Dana. How are you feeling?” The doctor greeted, as she entered the room.

“Not too bad, considering.” Scully replied through a small, forced smile.

“I’m Dr. Morgan, you must be Dana’s Mulder. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Mulder couldn’t help but smile. “That would be me. It’s nice to meet you Dr. Morgan.”

“Mulder, Natalie and I have worked together here at the hospital and been friends for several years,” Scully explained. Mulder smiled in acknowledgment of the information. Mulder knew some of Scully's friends from work, but due to the years he had spent in isolation and the time he and Scully had been estranged, he had not had a lot of exposure to Scully's work world at the hospital. He didn't recall having met Natalie before or even having heard much about her. She seemed nice and Scully seemed to trust her, so that was good enough for Mulder.

“Well, Dana.” Natalie began. “As you know, at your first appointment, we confirmed your pregnancy, did a quick ultrasound to determine how far along you are, and drew blood for the first step in the prenatal screening process. I don’t have to remind you of the risks for genetic abnormalities, particularly at your age.”

“Of course not.” Scully answered chewing on her bottom lip.

“Well, the ultrasound indicated that you are 11 weeks 4 days along. I believe that is right about what you suspected, based on our previous conversation.”  
Scully nodded.

“With that, we are placing your due date at October 17th.”

Mulder gave Scully a soft smile as he gently squeezed her hand.

“You’ll be happy to know that the NIPT detected no increased risk for Down’s Syndrome or any other chromosomal abnormalities. That is very good news. However, the NIPT is just one screening test. Based on your advanced maternal age, I will still be recommending you have either a CVS or an amniocentesis in a few weeks. We can talk more about that and get something scheduled at your next appointment.”

Scully nodded again at her friend to show her understanding.

Dr. Morgan continued, “Now the fun part of the NIPT is that by isolating the baby’s DNA, we are able to learn the baby’s sex quite early. Are you two interested in knowing now or would you prefer to wait?”

Mulder excitedly answered “yeah, sure!” just as Scully was saying “uhm, I don't know.”

Noticing their contradictory answers, Scully and Mulder looked at each other quizzically. “What do you think, Scully. I kind of like the idea of knowing, but it’s up to you. It’s your decision.” 

Scully was thoughtful for a moment and then started speaking to Mulder quietly. “I think...I think maybe the fewer surprises the better right now. There is so much that feels so chaotic right now. So much of our life has been dedicated to mysteries. It might be really nice to have an answer to something for a change. We could use something true to hold onto right now. This baby is our one sliver of joy in a sea of sadness and chaos, and I do think I’d like to know if our joy is a boy or a girl,” her smile grew wide as she finished. Mulder squeezed her hand lovingly as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. 

After they had both turned to look back at Dr. Morgan expectantly, the doctor looked back down at Scully’s file and asked “you’re sure?” Mulder and Scully both nodded. “Well, it looks like you’re having a girl! Congratulations.”

Scully bit her bottom lip as tears began to fill her eyes. Mulder leaned over and kissed Scully’s lips through his own smile and tears.

“We’re having a daughter, Mulder.” Scully said it almost in a whisper, as Mulder continued to pepper her face with soft kisses.

“Ok, Dana. If you can pull your shirt up a little bit for me, we will try to listen to the baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler and then you will be free to go for today.”

Scully leaned back on the exam table and lifted her shirt up to her rib cage. Dr. Morgan was quickly able to find the fast galloping sound of their daughter’s heartbeat. “159 beats per minute. Sounds good.”

Mulder’s eyes widened as he took in the sound of the new life growing within Scully. “Do you hear that, Scully? That’s amazing. That’s our daughter’s heartbeat?” Mulder was awestruck.

“Yes, Mulder. I hear it.” Scully answered, shaking her head at Mulder. “It is amazing. One of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard.”

Scully made an appointment to return in two weeks for her next check up, and she and Mulder made their way to the hospital parking garage.

After leaving the hospital, their next stop was to visit Deputy Director Kersh. Scully’s car had been at the Hoover Building since she rode to Norfolk with Skinner, so going into the office to see Kersh would also give them the chance to finally pick it up.

Scully gave Kersh her badge, gun and resignation letter, in which she explained her intention of ending her sabbatical and returning to the hospital full time. Mulder was also prepared to surrender his badge and gun when Kersh reluctantly surprised him with an offer to teach criminal profiling classes at the FBI Academy.

“It’s against my better judgment, but apparently there are people at the Academy who seem to think you have a certain expertise that is worth sharing in an academic setting. It could either be a full-time teaching assignment or a part-time, adjunct, arrangement. It would be up to you Agent Mulder. If you have an interest at all, I will let HR know, and they will reach out to you with the details.”

Mulder was more than a little surprised by the suggestion. He had other interests he wanted to pursue, but maintaining at least a part-time job with the Bureau might not be a bad idea with the baby coming and with the possibility they could be fostering Jackson’s sister. Some job is bound to look better on an adoption application than no job, right?

Scully must have sensed Mulder’s internal dialogue because she reached over and touched his arm supportively.

“I might have some interest. I’m not really sure, but have HR contact me. I’ll give it some thought, and I’ll hear what they have to say.”

“Ok, Agent Mulder, I’ll let them know. Good luck to both of you. I really do wish you both well in your endeavors, but I can’t say I’m not more than a little happy to have you out of my purview.”

“Thank you, Sir. I think.” Scully said politely.

“You’re welcome. Were you able to speak to the gentleman from Children and Families?”

“We were. In fact, he is meeting with us at our house tomorrow to discuss the situation. We should actually be going, I have a few chores I’d like Mulder to do around the house before tomorrow.”

Scully began to stand and Mulder followed suit.

“Very well. I guess you should get to it.” Kersh added as he dismissed them, for the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually combined what I had written as chapters 2 and 3 into a single chapter 2, because separately, they were a little short. What I had written as chapters 4 and 5, will become a single chapter 3, which I expect to post tomorrow. Stay tuned, more is coming soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Scully, with Mulder’s assistance, spent the rest of the day, to the extent her first trimester energy level would allow, cleaning and organizing the house in preparation for the visit from the state social worker.  
Ryan Malloy arrived at their unremarkable house at precisely 11:00 the next morning. Mulder and Scully greeted him at their front door.  
“Mr. Malloy, it is nice to meet you. I am Dana Scully and this is Fox Mulder.”  
“Dr. Scully, Mr. Mulder, thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me.”  
“Of course”Mulder offered. “Please come in. Can we offer you something to drink. Water, coffee, tea?”  
“I’m fine, but thank you very much for the offer.”  
Scully led Mr. Malloy toward the living room. “Please, have a seat.”  
Mr. Malloy sat in a chair across from the couch where Mulder and Scully settled next to one another.  
“I take it Mr. Kersh explained about the child that has come into the care of the Commonwealth that we are hoping to place?”  
“He told us that Jackson VanDeKamp has a sibling and there is no family available to care for her.” Mulder answered.  
“Yes. Her name is Ashley. She is ten years old. The VanDeKamps adopted her immediately after her birth. She has been in the temporary care of family friends, but at this point, that arrangement has lasted as long as it can. I have a photograph of Ashley if you'd like to see it?”  
“Yes, please,” Scully said as she reached for the photograph Mr. Malloy was taking out of his portfolio.  
Scully held the photograph between herself and Mulder so they could both look at it. The photograph was of Jackson and Ashley standing in front of a Christmas tree. They were posing dutifully, most likely for their parents. Jackson had that typical teenage look of bare tolerance. His sister, on the other hand, was smiling happily and appeared to be enamored with her older brother. She has shoulder length, light brown hair and the biggest blue eyes Scully had ever seen. As soon as Scully saw her, sweet and happy and emanating love for Jackson, Scully knew that she and Mulder had to have her. They needed to take care of her and love her...for Jackson.  
Mulder had looked at the photo of Jackson and the beautiful blue-eyed little girl, but mostly, he had watched Scully looking at the picture. As he watched her eyes fill with tears, he knew exactly what she was thinking and what she wanted. He knew there really was no question and no other choice.  
Mulder decided to speak up, “so what exactly would be the process for us to be able to foster her; to eventually adopt her?”  
Scully’s head jerked toward Mulder and her eyes began to light up behind the pool of unshed tears.  
“Well, we already have most of the information we need. Mr. Kersh has assured me that he can have us provided with your FBI background checks, which are kept current due to you level of security clearance, with less than a days notice. With that and my visit today, we can expedite your home study and given that we are basically treating this as a family placement, we could have you approved to foster within a week. And the good news is that nowadays, there is no real preference for couples who are married, so unmarried couples are just as qualified to foster and adopt.”  
Mulder and Scully looked at one another in wordless conversation. Mulder answered Scully’s concerned look with a single nod. Scully turned back to the social worker and slowly began to speak. “Actually, Mr. Malloy, Fox and I are married and have been for almost ten years. We were estranged for a time, but have reconciled. We are actually expecting a baby in October.”  
“Oh, well, congratulations.” Mr. Malloy started, looking a little embarrassed. “I don’t think I actually have your marital status in the information we have put together so far, although it would be included in the background check the FBI will be providing. I guess I made an assumption based on your different last names. I apologize for assuming.”  
“No need to apologize. It isn’t something that very many people know about us, but we wouldn’t want you to think we were withholding anything from you. We really are anxious to move forward and meet Ashley as soon as possible.” Mulder explained.  
“That is wonderful news. I can start working on your application right away. Today is Friday, so I think, if I can get everything I need, we could tentatively schedule a time next Thursday for you both to meet Ashley. I should be able to let you know those details on Monday or Tuesday.”  
“That sounds really good. Thank you again for finding us and giving us this opportunity. We were able to briefly meet our son before he went missing, and I truly believe he would want us to take care of his sister. He knows how much we love him, and I think he would want us to love his sister, as well.” Scully’s voice caught, filled with emotions and her thoughts of Jackson.  
Mr. Malloy smiled in understanding at Scully and rose from his chair. “Alright then. I will be in touch early next week. It was a pleasure to meet you both.”  
“Thank you for everything, Mr. Malloy.” Scully began as she and Mulder walked him to the front door. “We look forward to hearing from you.”  
Mulder and Scully stood together on their porch and watch Mr. Malloy leave.  
As Mr. Malloy's car drove down their gravel driveway toward the main road, Scully turned and looked up at Mulder, "what made you change your mind?"  
"Did I change my mind? I don't think I was committed one way or the other, but I realized after seeing that picture, that she is a part of our son, and we can't abandon her." Mulder paused and the started again, "I mean, isn't that what you were thinking when you were looking at the picture? About Jackson?"  
"Yeah." Scully leaned into Mulder as she put her arm around his waist. He returned the gesture and squeezed her closer against his side. "I just love him so much, Mulder, and part of loving him means loving everyone and everything that he loves. In the absence of anyone else or any other options, we have to take her."  
"I know."  
After several seconds of silence, Scully composed herself and began to speak. "I think your baby is ready for some lunch, Mulder. You think we'll be able to find anything in that kitchen to feed her?" Scully smiled up at Mulder as she gave his side a quick pinch.  
"I'm sure we can find something."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ryan Malloy called Scully on Monday afternoon to tell her that everything was a go for her and Mulder to meet Ashley on Thursday. They made plans to meet Ryan and Ashley at a Children’s Museum in Richmond at 10:00 a.m.  
Mulder wasn’t home, so she would have to wait a little while to share to good news with him. He had gone to Quantico for a couple hours to meet with the department head about his part-time teaching schedule for the upcoming term. Scully decided she would burn her nervous energy by cooking dinner while she waited for Mulder to make it home.  
An hour later, she was just pulling lasagna and garlic bread out of the oven when Mulder walked in the door.  
“Something smells amazing in here.”  
“It’s dinner, and it’s just about done.”  
Mulder hung his coat on the coat rack and crossed the kitchen to Scully and leaned down to kiss her fully on the mouth while he gave her belly a gentle rub.  
“Mmm,” Scully hummed against Mulder's lips. “I missed you.”  
“I’m glad. Although, I was only gone a few hours.” Mulder smiled mischievously and kissed Scully fully again.  
As their lips separated slowly, Scully responded “it takes less than a few hours for me to miss you.” They continued to smile lovingly at one another as Scully spoke again. “So how was it?”  
“Oh, well, as expected, I guess. They want me to teach a behavioral science course and a criminal investigation course. I think it will be fine. Just enough to keep me on the government payroll and us on government health insurance, but not so much to require the kind of hours we put in over the past twenty-five years.”  
Scully looked at Mulder with concern. “You still sound ambivalent about the whole thing. If it isn’t what you want to do, we will figure something out. You don’t have to stay at the FBI and teach if you don’t want to.”  
“No, Scully, it really is the smart thing to do. I’m a family man now; I’ve got to start thinking like one,” he said as he smiled and winked at Scully. “Besides, I actually think I’m going to enjoy it. All of those young minds to fill with my nonsense. It'll be a good time.”  
Scully couldn't help but chuckle at his last comment. “They certainly won’t have a clue what they're in store for,” Scully quipped as she turned and headed toward the stove to check on dinner.  
While Scully was at the stove, Mulder opened the refrigerator and retrieved himself a water bottle. As he opened it an took a swig, he turned back in Scully's direction. “The SAC from the Norfolk Field Office called me this afternoon. They finished their search of the Elizabeth River. The search team located the very dead body of one Carl Spender.”  
Scully stopped short and turned back to face Mulder, her face pale.  
“They found no other bodies in the river, Scully. Jackson’s body wasn’t there.  
Scully grabbed the back of one of the kitchen table’s chairs to keep from collapsing with relief. “I told you, Mulder. He’s alive. I don’t know how, but he is alive and out there somewhere.”  
Mulder closed the remaining distance to her and enveloped Scully in a tight hug, resting his chin on top of her head. “I want to believe that, too, Scully. And if he is alive, I want to believe he’ll find us when he is confident that it is safe to do so.”  
“He will Mulder. I saw him here, in my dream. My vision. He was here, in our yard, playing with his sisters.”  
“Then, we go on with our lives, and we wait.”  
“Speaking of that," Scully pulled back just enough to look up at Mulder and wiped the tears the had begun to litter her cheeks, "I received a phone call today, too.” Mulder could tell by the enthusiastic change in her tone and demeanor that it must have been good news.  
“Oh yeah?” He prompted.  
“Mr. Malloy called from DCF. Everything is approved, and he has arranged for us to meet Ashley in Richmond on Thursday."  
"Alright. That is really good news, Scully. I am looking forward to meeting her. I think meeting her and knowing her will be good for us in a lot of ways. Not only will we get to know her, but by extension, we will get to know a lot more about Jackson." Mulder contemplated.  
Scully, with their arms still wrapped around one another, smiled up at Mulder and nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryan Malloy called Scully on Monday afternoon to tell her that everything was a go for her and Mulder to meet Ashley on Thursday. She agreed that she and Mulder would meet Ryan and Ashley at a Children’s Museum in Richmond at 10:00 a.m. Mulder wasn’t home, so she would have to wait a little while to share the good news with him. He had gone to Quantico for a couple hours to meet with the department head about his part-time teaching schedule for the upcoming term. Scully decided she would burn her nervous energy by cooking dinner while she waited for Mulder to make it home.

An hour later, she was just pulling lasagna and garlic bread out of the oven when Mulder walked in the door.

“Something smells amazing in here.”

“It’s dinner and it’s just about done.”

Mulder hung his coat on the coat rack and crossed the kitchen to Scully, leaning down to kiss her fully on the mouth while he gave her belly a gentle rub.

“Mmm,” Scully hummed. “I missed you.”

“I’m glad. Although, I was only gone a few hours.” Mulder smiles mischievously and covered Scully's lips with his own again.

As their lips separated slowly, Scully responded in a sultry almost whisper “it takes less than a few hours for me to miss you.” They continued to smile lovingly at one another as Scully spoke again. “So how was it?”

“As expected, I guess. They're having me teach a behavioral science course and a criminal investigation course. I think it will be fine. Just enough to keep me on the government payroll and us on government health insurance, but not so much to require the kind of hours we put in over the past twenty-five years.”

Scully looked at Mulder with concern. “You still sound ambivalent about the whole thing. If it isn’t what you want to do, we will figure something out. You don’t have to stay at the FBI and teach if you don’t want to.”

“No, Scully, it really is the smart thing to do. I’m a family man now; I’ve got to start thinking like one,” he said as he smiled and winked at Scully. “Besides, I actually think I’m going to enjoy it. All of those young minds to fill with my nonsense.”

Scully couldn't help but chuckle at his last comment. “They certainly have no clue what they're in store for,” Scully quipped as she turned and headed toward the stove to check on dinner. Mulder was just able to pinch her ass playfully before she was out of his reach."

“The SAC from the Norfolk Field Office called me this afternoon. Their exhaustive search of the Elizabeth River turned up the very dead body of one Carl Spender.”

Scully stopped short and turned back to look at Mulder, her face pale.

“They found no other bodies in the river, Scully. Jackson’s body wasn’t there."

Scully grabbed the back of one of the kitchen chairs to keep from collapsing with relief. “I told you, Mulder," she started quietly, through forming tears. "He’s alive. I don’t know how, but he's alive and out there somewhere.”

Mulder crossed the kitchen and embraced Scully into a tight hug, resting his chin on top of her head. “I want to believe that, too, Scully. And if he is alive, I want to believe he’ll find us when he is confident that it is safe to do so.”

“He will, Mulder. I saw him here, in my dream. My vision. He was here, in our yard, playing with his sisters.”

“Then all we can really do is try to go on with our lives and wait.”

Scully nodded against Mulder's chest, before pulling pack suddenly, recalling her own telephone call. “Speaking of that. I received a phone call today, too.” Mulder could tell by the enthusiastic change in her tone and demeanor that it must have been good news.

“Oh yeah?” He prompted.

“Mr. Malloy called from DCF. Everything is approved, and we have plans to meet Ashley in Richmond on Thursday!”

"That's excellent news. Right? This is still what you want, isn't it, Scully?"

"Yes, of course. I'm not having second thoughts at all. Are you?"

"Not at all, Scully. My opinion has not changed since we discussed this on Friday. I actually can't wait to meet her."

"Good. Thank you." She smiled up looking into his eyes, her arms still wrapped around his waist. "You know I love you, right?"

"I've had my suspicions," Mulder joked. "I mean, you do keep letting me get you pregnant."

Scully smiled at him and rolled her eyes. "Very funny. Let's eat dinner, shall we?"  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
On Thursday morning, Mulder and Scully made the hour-long drive to Richmond and arrived at the Children's museum just before 10:00 a.m. After parking their car, they walked through the park located in front of the museum to reach the front entrance, where they spotted Mr. Malloy standing with the girl from the photograph they had both been so struck by just a week earlier. She was wearing glasses and had her long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“Good morning. It’s good to see you both.” Ryan said cheerfully as he offered them each his hand to shake. “Ashley, why don’t you introduce yourself.”

The little girl took a step forward, keeping her arms at her side and announced “I’m Ashley VandeKamp. I’m 10 and I’m going to be a veterinarian when I grow up.”

“Well, hello, Ashley. My name is Dana and this is my husband. He likes to be called Mulder.”

“Mulder?” Ashley repeated as she crinkled up her nose. “Isn’t that kind of a silly name?”

“Ashley!” Mr. Malloy scolded. “Remember your manners.”

“It’s okay,” Scully chuckled. “Mulder is actually his last name. And if you think that’s silly, you should hear what his first name is.” Scully smiled at Ashley mischievously and although it was at his expense, Mulder couldn't help but enjoy the interaction.

“Really?” Ashley seemed intrigued and directed her attention to Mulder. “What is your first name?”

Mulder decided to join in the little game. “How about you try to guess. Kind of like Rumpelstiltskin - and no, Rumpelstiltskin is the not the right answer." Ashley giggled at Mulder as he continued, "by the time we get through the museum, if you haven’t guessed, then I’ll tell you.”

“Well, I'm glad your name isn’t Rumpelstiltskin. It would be pretty mean for parents to name a child something like that.” Mulder and Scully couldn’t help but grin at how confident and outgoing Ashley seemed to be.

Finally, Mr. Malloy spoke up. “Ok, Ashley. I have three admission tickets to the museum here. I’m going to hang around out here, while you go explore the museum with Dr. Scully and Mr. Mulder for a couple of hours and then I'll meet you all for lunch in the food court. How does that sound?”

“Doctor Scully? Are you a veterinarian?” Ashley asked Scully with interest.

“Nope. Just a regular people doctor.”

“Hmmm. That’s pretty good too, I guess.”

Mulder took the tickets from Mr. Malloy and the trio bid him farewell as they entered the children’s museum together. The first exhibit they came to allowed you to turn a crank to create a tornado in a cylinder of water. There were placards explaining the science behind various weather phenomenon. The first exhibit held Ashley’s attention for three or four minutes, so the three of them began walking toward the next exhibit. As they walked, Ashley addressed Mulder and Scully, “My parents are dead. Did you know that?”

Scully looked at Mulder and then bent down so her face was close to Ashley’s face. “We did know that. And we are so very sorry about what happened to your parents. No kid should ever have to go through what you’ve been through. If you ever want to talk more about it, please know that either one of us will be here for you.”

Ashley nodded her head, seeming pleased with Scully’s response. At least for the moment. They began walking again, toward a room with musical instruments from around the world that kids can try. Just as they reached the door to enter the music room, Ashley added, matter-of-factly, “I have a brother, too. His name is Jackson, but he ran away.”

Ashley continued into the room and started playing with an African Djembe drum, as Scully was left frozen in place feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

“Are you alright, Scully?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said barely louder than a whisper. “I should have been prepared for that.”

Mulder softly caressed Scully’s arm, as they both heard, “Hey, Mr. Mulder? Is your name Jembe?”

Mulder chuckled and walked fully into the instrument room. Scully followed close behind.

“I will give you a hint. I was not named after any kind of musical instrument.”

“Well what were you named after?”

Knowing it would be giving away a pretty big hint, Mulder decided it was only fair to answer the girl's question honestly. "That is a very good question, Ashley. I am actually named after my mother's family," Mulder answered with a smirk, just before Scully punched him in the bicep. "Okay, okay. I am named after an animal."

"An animal?" Ashley seemed intrigued. "Like Bunny or Puppy or Kitty?"

"Yes, but it isn't any of those."

They continued through at least six more exhibits, with Ashley periodically guessing other animal names, before it was almost time to meet Mr. Malloy for lunch in the museum's food court. Mulder had eliminated Badger, Otter, Squirrel, Bull, Rooster, and Hawk before she finally guessed Fox.

Mulder gave her the biggest smile, while Scully exclaimed "that's it!" and leaned down to give Ashley a big hug. Scully realized as soon as she embraced the child that it might be too soon for that much affection, but Ashley didn't flinch and seemed to actually lean into it.

"Fox Mulder? You've had to go by that name your whole life?" Ashley asked in surprise and delight.

"Yep, everyday." Mulder answered with a chuckle. He was genuinely having a good time, and he found Ashley to be charming and very smart for her age.

"I guess it could be worse. It could have been Bunny," Ashley added and then walked into the food court ahead of them. Mulder and Scully both laughed as they followed her in.

Once they had gone through the line and gotten trays with their lunches, the threesome joined Mr. Malloy at a table in the center of the room. 

"So, did you have fun?" Mr. Malloy immediately asked Ashley as she took her seat next to him.

"Yeah. Did you know Mr. Mulder's name was Fox?" Ashley asked Mr. Malloy through giggles.

Mr. Malloy smiled and continued his questioning of Ashley. "So, Ashley, do you think you'd like to go and stay with the Mulders?" 

Ashley tilted her head in contemplation and after several seconds looked at Scully and asked "where do you live and what kind of house do you have?"

Scully smiled at the question as she began to answer, "well...we live close enough to Washington that we can go visit the museums and landmarks there anytime we want, but we live far enough away from the city that our house has lots of land for running and playing."

"Do you have any pets?" Scully was beginning to feel like they were being interviewed for a job.

"We don't right now, but if you'd like a pet, it's certainly something we can talk about." Scully leaned in toward Ashley and in a conspiratorial tone whispered, "you and I may have to gang up on the big guy over there" she nodded her head toward Mulder "and try to talk him into it. He's only ever had fish as a pet."

Mulder just raised an eyebrow at Scully and shook his head.

Seemingly satisfied at the answers so far, Ashley continued her interrogation, "Are you two really Jackson's birth parents?" 

Scully had wondered how much Ashley had been told about why she was being matched with a foster family that lived so far away from her home in Norfolk, and although part of her knew to be prepared for this conversation, she was still stunned into silence by the question for three or four seconds.

"Yes, Ashley, we really are." Knowing a more thorough explanation was necessary, Scully continued. "When Jackson was a baby, we had very dangerous jobs and lived very dangerous lives. Because of that, we knew that your parents, the VanDeKamps, would be able to keep Jackson safer than we could. So we decided the safest thing for Jackson was for us to give him away. And while it made us terribly sad to do it, he got to be your brother as a result of it. But I want you to know that we both have very different jobs now, and our lives are not so dangerous anymore. We promise that we can take good care of you and keep you nice and safe, and if Jackson decides to come back, we can keep him safe now, too."

"So Jackson will be able to find me at your house when he comes back?"

"If he comes back, I have a feeling he will know to find you at our house," Mulder answered.

"But he is coming back. He told me so. As soon as he can, he will." Ashley corrected Mulder.

"Ashley, have you spoken to Jackson since your parents were killed?" Scully asked looking confused.

"No. Not in real life. I just know, because of the messages I see in my head."

Mr. Malloy spoke up, "She has been meeting with a counselor since her parents were killed, and the counselor thinks her "messages" are just a way of processing everything that has happened and wanting the normality of having her brother around. The counselor says it is harmless and should pass as she works through her grief."

"I would tend to agree with that explanation," Mulder added. Scully continued to watch Ashley with a thoughtful, slightly puzzled look.

"Well, Ashley, if you think you'd still like to stay with the Mulder's, we can go back to Norfolk this afternoon and pack up all of your things, and I will bring you to their house late tomorrow. How does that sound?" Mr. Malloy began as he finished eating the last of his lunch. 

"Ok." 

Scully's thoughts began wonder and settled on the realization that they really had nothing at their house to make a ten year old girl feel at home. They would need to setup one of   
the two spare bedrooms for her...by tomorrow afternoon. Scully started to feel a slight sense of panic. "So Ashley," Scully inquired, "do you have a favorite color?"

"Um, probably teal, I guess. You know, like Tiffany Blue." Ashley answered between bites of her chicken tenders. 

"Tiffany Blue? You know, Breakfast at Tiffany's is a favorite of mine. I love the book and the movie. Although it may be a little grown up for you."

"I've seen parts of that movie when my mom was watching it. I really liked the Holly's cat. She didn't really want a pet either, Mr. Mulder, but then she decided she loved her cat." Scully couldn't help but smile at the fact that she and Ashley already had at least two things in common. They both liked Breakfast at Tiffany's, and it appeared that they were both pretty good at getting Mulder to do whatever they wanted him to do. 

Once everyone else was finished eating their lunch, the group got ready to say their goodbyes, at least until tomorrow. Mr. Malloy handed Mulder two large envelopes. "The first envelope contains the papers I need the two of you to sign regarding the foster care. The other envelope is all of Ashley's school records, medical records, and anything you'll need to register her for school, take her to the doctor, that sort of stuff."

"Thank you. We'll have the foster care papers signed and ready when you come to the house tomorrow afternoon."

"Perfect. I suppose we will see you then. Ashley, do you want to tell them goodbye?"

Ashley walked over and gave Scully a gentle hug. "Bye Dana. I'll see you tomorrow." She then grinned up at Mulder, again with that mischievous gleam in her eyes "Goodbye, Fox."

"Uh huh...very funny, little girl," Mulder said as he smiled and winked at her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Mulder and Scully stayed in the food court and waved as Ashley and Mr. Malloy exited the museum to return to Norfolk for the night. Once they were out of sight Scully turned to   
Mulder. "Mulder, we need to stop at that big mall in Woodbridge on the way home. At the very minimum we need to get a bed and some bedding for her by tomorrow afternoon, so we can at least have a bedroom prepared for her when she arrives."

"Is this going to involve me assembling IKEA furniture tonight?"

"Potentially." Scully gave him her sweetest smile as she turned into him and placed her palms against his chest, hoping he wouldn't be able to protest.

"Great. Alright, Scully, let's get going...I suddenly have a lot to accomplish in the next twenty-four hours."


	5. Chapter 5

Later that evening, Mulder worked to assemble the white full-sized bed they had found IKEA. Scully had picked out a light teal comforter set at Pottery Barn that was not too young (no characters or cartoons) and yet not too old (still colorful, bright and fun), that she thought Ashley would like. The new bedding was currently in the washing machine, so Scully sat on the floor, across the small bedroom from where Mulder was working, looking through the packets of documents Mr. Malloy had provided them.

As Scully flipped through the papers, Mulder heard her utter a soft "huh."

"Whatcha doing, Scully?" Mulder spoke without really looking up from his task.

"I was just reading through Ashley's medical records."

"Anything interesting?"

"Not particularly. She appears to be a perfectly healthy, intelligent, ten year old."

"So what was the 'huh'?" Mulder could tell that Scully had noticed something that she wasn't immediately sharing with him.

"Well, her blood type is B negative, That's sort of interesting."

"Interesting how?"

"It's just unusual, that's all. Only about 2% of the population has B- as their blood type."

"Oh well, you've still got her beat with your AB- blood, Scully."

Scully chuckled. "yeah, I guess I do." Scully suddenly felt very sleepy. Through a yawn she asked, "are you almost finished with that bed?"

"Getting close. I'm sure I can finish it in the morning, if you're ready for bed."

"Yeah, I'm going to go move the bedding from the washer to the dryer and then go get changed for bed. Don't be too long."

“Ok. I’ll be right there.”

Mulder finished the step he was on in the IKEA instruction book and put away all of his tools. He really was close to being finished with the assembly, so he was sure he could quickly finish it in the morning. Once everything was put away for the night, he made his way down the hall to their bedroom. Scully was already in the bed, under the covers. She watched him with dark eyes as he stripped down to his boxers and moved toward the bed and slid under the covers beside her. She turned onto her side to face him. He reached under the covers to put his arm around her waist and felt...skin. Just skin. “And what do we have here, Scully?” He smiled and continued to rub his hand across her body, feeling the warm, bare skin just below her rib cage and around to her back. Scully chuckled. He used his hand, that was now flat against her bareback to pull her flush against him. The sensation of her bare breasts against his chest sent a surge of arousal through him and Scully could feel his burgeoning erection against her upper thigh, through the thin fabric of his boxers. Scully hummed at the sensation and turned her head up to press her lips against his. “This will most likely be the last night, for a very long time, that we have an empty nest. I thought we should take advantage of it.”

Knowing it was true, Mulder contemplated the first part of her statement and her choice of the phrase "empty nest", for several seconds. “Scully, does it concern you that most people our age are just finishing raising their kids, and we are just getting started? I mean, I feel like our lives have taken a complete 180 since we laid on that sofa bed in that hotel room and had a much different conversation.”

“I agree that a lot has changed for us over the past few weeks, but as far as if I'm concerned...I guess I try not to worry too much about those sorts of things. And I gave up expecting anything about our lives to be typical, a long time ago.” She chuckled sweetly. “Mulder, you and I have always been good at ‘rolling with the punches’. As long as we are doing it together, I believe we can handle whatever life throws at us.”

Mulder hummed in agreement and moved his hands up to cup her face. “I love you.” Scully smiled and closed the short distance between their faces and kissed him again. The kiss quickly deepened this time and Mulder’s hand moved slowly down to Scully’s ass so that he could press her even closer against him. This was the first time they had been intimate since they returned from Norfolk. The frenzy of events that occurred over the past two weeks and all of the emotions they have both had to process had not allowed much time or thought for being physical. Their kissing became more wanton and purposeful, as they were both feeling the hunger there abstinence had caused. Mulder rolled Scully onto her back and began to position himself above her. Just before he settled his weight on her, he suddenly remembered and stopped short. “The baby.”

Scully stared into his face with confusion. “What about the baby?” She asked quietly.

“Will this hurt the baby? Will I hurt you?”

Scully’s features relaxed into a soft smile. “Of course not, Mulder. Sex won’t hurt me or the baby. It is perfectly safe. You know that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I'm sure, Mulder. We had sex a few times when I was pregnant before. Don’t you remember?”

“Yeah, but that was at the end. You were big; he was big. He could kick me if I stepped out of line.”

Scully laughed. “He kicked every time you got close to me! He was just moving around. I think he was just reacting to the sound of your voice. Don’t worry. Sex is perfectly safe throughout the entire pregnancy.”

“Ok. But promise you'll tell me if anything's too rough or makes you uncomfortable?”

“I promise.”

Mulder began kissing along Scully’s jaw line and into the bend of her neck. As he nibbled on her earlobe, she threw her head back to grant him more access and hummed.  
Mulder pulled back and balanced above her on his left elbow, as he took his right hand and gently ran his fingertips down her left cheek and along her neck. His caresses were feather soft and filled with love. His mouth followed behind his hand, and he left a trail of wet kisses along her face, her jaw, the curve of her neck. His hand continued along her collar and brushed past her shoulder. As his hand softly passed along the side of her left breast, he slowly splayed his fingers so that his thumb grazed her hardened nipple. His ministrations elicited a soft moan from Scully, as she felt herself becoming increasingly aroused. He continued following his hand by softly kissing each of the spots he had just touched, until he reached her small, slightly rounded belly. He rubbed his hand in circles around her belly for several seconds and then peppered it with several kisses before Scully heard his barely audible whisper. “Hi, baby. I love you.”

Scully slowly entwined her fingers in his hair and caressed his scalp sweetly before gently pulling on his hair to get his attention. “Mulder,” she whispered, “come here.”

Mulder worked his way back up face to face with her and smiled. “Scully pulled his head down into a deep kiss, pausing only long enough to say “Mulder, please, make love to me.”

Mulder smiled. "I can do that."  
____________________________________________________________________________________  
The next morning after breakfast, Mulder finished assembling the furniture they had gotten for Ashley’s room. Scully continued reading through the paperwork Mr. Malloy had given them and decided she should call their local school district to find out the process for registering Ashley for school. As it turned out, the schools would be on spring break the next week, so Ashley could start the following Monday when school resumes. Scully would just need to bring Ashley’s records to the district office sometime during the next week to sign her up. That was actually perfect, as Scully had intended to start back to work at the hospital a week from Monday. Maybe she would ask to reduce her hours, at least on the two or three days per week that Mulder would be working, so that she could pick Ashley up from school and be with her in the afternoons. 

Mulder and Scully had managed to have everything as ready as it could be by the time Mr. Malloy showed up with Ashley at 4:00 p.m. Scully watched as Mr. Malloy took Ashley's two large suitcases out of the car. It looked like the girl was going on a week's long vacation, rather than starting a whole new life. Scully wondered how many of Ashley's own things, if any, had been salvaged from the house after the crime scene was cleared. Does she have her own books, stuffed animals, arts and crafts supplies, her own clothes? Scully was suddenly filled with sadness at the grief Ashley and Jackson have had to withstand. 

"Hi, sweet girl. We are so happy to see you." Scully greeted as Ashley and Mr. Malloy approached the porch.

"Hi, Dana. Hi, Fox." Ashley grinned impishly at Mulder.

"Remember? I like to be called Mulder." Mulder mockingly corrected her.

"But I like to call you Fox." Ashley replied through a developing fit of giggles.

"I'm not going to win this battle, am I?" Mulder asked Ashley.

"Nope." Ashley's smile reached from one ear to the other.

"Well, then. Let me help you with your bags. Do you want to come inside and see our house?" Ashley nodded enthusiastically in response to Mulder's invitation. 

Mulder set bags down at the bottom of the stairs, as they all came into the house. "Pretty much just the living room and kitchen down here, and there is a room back there that's my office." Mulder began the tour.

"There are some bedrooms upstairs," Scully interjected. "We have a bed all setup in one of the rooms for you. There isn't much else in there yet, but you can decorate it however you'd like. If you'd like, we can go shopping tomorrow for whatever you need."

"Ok." Ashley was grateful and liked the idea of shopping for things for her new room, but she was beginning to get nervous, especially since Mr. Malloy was approaching her like he was preparing to leave.

"What do you think, Ashley?" Mr. Malloy asked her. "Would you like Dr. Scully and Mr. Mulder to show you around a little more before I go?" Ashley nodded.

"Why don't we go upstairs and see your room. Mulder can bring your bags up." Scully took Ashley's hand and led her upstairs, while Mulder grabbed the suitcases and followed them.

Ashley admitted that she really liked the teal comforter set Scully had chosen for her and hoped that during their shopping trip they'd be able to find some pictures of animals that might compliment the set. Scully told her they could also look for throw pillows and a window treatment. Ashley seemed genuinely excited about her new room.

Mr. Malloy left about twenty minutes later, promising to call and check in with Ashley on Monday. After he was gone, Scully suggested that they order a pizza for dinner. Ashley and Mulder both thought that sounded like a great idea, so Scully went into the kitchen to call in the order, leaving Ashley and Mulder together on the couch.

"Do you have Wi-Fi here?" 

"We do. Why?" Mulder wasn't sure if internet usage was something he should discuss with Scully first, but Ashley seemed to have something specific on her mind. 

"I have an iPad in my suitcase. If you have Wi-Fi, I can play Minecraft."

"Run upstairs and get it, and I'll see if I can connect it for you." Ashley was off and up the stairs like a shot. Scully watched her curiously from the kitchen as she finished her call. Before Scully had a chance to ask Mulder what was going on, Ashley was back downstairs and handing her iPad to Mulder. Mulder typed in the Wi-Fi password and handed the iPad back to Ashley. She settled back into the couch next to Mulder and opened her game.

"What are you playing," Scully asked curiously as she returned to the living room and sat down in the chair across from the couch.

"Minecraft. It is sort of like Legos, but you play on a computer or a tablet. You can build all sorts of stuff, and there are animals you can find and tame. You can even visit worlds that other people have built. There is this one server that has a world someone built where you can ride just about any of the rides at Disney World." Mulder and Scully were listening intently, enjoying her enthusiasm. 

"Disney World, huh? Have you ever been to Disney World?" Scully asked. 

"We go every summer. Well, we used to. My parents and Jackson and me. Jackson likes Space Mountain the best, but I think my favorite is Pirates of the Caribbean."

"I'm sure you miss your parents and Jackson a lot." 

"Yeah, but Jackson knows I'm here, so he'll come visit as soon as he can."

Mulder, who had just been listening to the girls talk about Disney World, looked at Ashley curiously, "what do you mean when you say 'Jackson knows you're here'?"

"He told me in my dream last night. He's really glad that I'm here with you. He said that I'll be safe and happy with you guys."

Scully was staring at Mulder with an almost pained expression. Mulder shook his head slowly at her, knowing that she wanted to read more into the girl's words than was probably there. Mulder knew that the counselor Ashley had been seeing was probably right in saying that Ashley's imagination was in high gear as a result of her grief. Even though Jackson has been able to send Scully visions, there has been no indication that he is able to send them to others. Especially to someone he lacks the strong biological connection he shares with Scully.

Mulder broke the eye contact he'd been holding with Scully and turned to Ashley. "You know what? I think it is almost time for the pizza to be here. How about I show you where we keep the plates, and you can help me set the table?"


	6. Chapter 6

Surprisingly, Ashley seemed to have no trouble sleeping her first night at the unremarkable house. Mulder and Scully wondered if she’d be scared trying to sleep in a strange new place. She didn’t seem anxious at bedtime as Scully showed her where the bathroom and other bedrooms were and helped her unpack her bags.

“So there is my room, your room and an empty room up here,” Ashley pondered. “Is the empty room for when Jackson gets here?”

“Actually,” Scully sighed and smiled at Ashley, “if Jackson does ever come here and want to stay with us, we’ll probably have to convert Mulder’s office, downstairs, into a bedroom.” Scully could read the question, still unanswered, in the girl’s face. 

“Ashley, why don’t we have a seat on your bed. There is something we probably should have told you before you we ask you to decide if you wanted to come live with us.”

Ashley slowly lowered herself to sit next to Scully on the bed. “Is this house haunted? Do the ghost live in that empty room?”  
Scully laughed and cupped Ashley’s cheek. “No, no. Nothing like that.” “Fox and I are expecting a new baby in October. The empty room is going to be her nursery.”

Ashley’s eyes got big and a smile began to form. “A baby girl?”

“Is that ok? How do you feel about joining a family where you’re going to be a big sister right off the bat? I'm afraid it was unfair of us not to tell you before, but everything happened really fast and we aren’t really talking about the baby to other people yet, so it just didn’t occur to me to talk to you about it when we first met you last week at the museum.”

“It’s ok. I like babies.”

“I’m glad. I hope you still feel the same once she’s here and crying, just down the hall, when you’re trying to sleep.”

“Can I hold her when she’s born. Maybe feed her a bottle?” Ashley asked excitedly.

Scully smiled with relief and happiness. “I am quite certain you will get to hold her a lot and feed her plenty of bottles. I’m so happy you want to help take care of her and aren’t upset that we’ll be adding a baby soon.”

“What’s her name going to be?”

“She doesn’t have a name yet. We haven’t even talked about names yet, but we’ll probably need to get working on that pretty soon. Now, you remember where the bathroom is?” Ashley nodded. “Ok. Why don’t you go brush your teeth and get changed into pajamas?” And with that, Ashley bounded off the bed, grabbed a pair of pajamas from the top of the small dresser and bounced toward the bathroom.

The next morning after breakfast, as promised, Scully told Ashley to get ready so they could he shopping for things to fill and decorate Ashley’s new bedroom. Once Ashley has disappeared up the stairs, Scully turned to Mulder who was just finishing up the breakfast dishes. “Mulder, are you going to go with us?”

“Actually, Scully, unless you think you need me to go, I was going to stay here and work on my lesson plans for Tuesday, if you think you can handle it without me.”

“That’s fine, Mulder. If that’s what you want.”

“Yeah. If I can get my work done while you two are gone, I’ll be free to spend time with you when you get back.” Mulder crossed to hug Scully tightly. After several long seconds, he pulled back and looked down at her. “But Scully, I want you to get her everything she needs. and that means more than a few throw pillows. You still have the debit card I gave you for that joint money market account?”

“Yes, Mulder, I still have it.”

“Use that and spend whatever you need to. She needs books and toys and a TV. Definitely get her a little TV for up there. And make it a smart TV. Apparently ten year olds like to watch YouTube videos of other ten year olds playing video games and opening boxes.”  
Scully raised an eyebrow at Mulder and cocked her head to the side. “Opening boxes?”

“Yeah, it’s the damnedest thing.”

“Mulder, how do you know so much?”

“I Googled it.”

“You Googled ‘what do 10 year olds like?’”

“Something along those lines.” Mulder smiled sheepishly.

Scully placed her palm against Mulder's chest and smiled up at him lovingly. "And that, Fox Mulder, is one of the many reasons why I love you.” She raised up on her toes and kissed him sweetly on the lips before making her way up the stairs to get ready for the shopping trip.

——————————————

Four and a half hours and $2,500 later, Scully and Ashley made it back home with posters, pictures, curtains, throw pillows, a 32-inch smart TV to set atop the chest of drawers they ordered to be delivered later that afternoon, a small desk to be delivered, as well, a laptop, some books, a few school clothes, a few games and toys, and two pair of shoes.

Mulder carried the bags and boxes inside the house from the back of Scully's vehicle, while Scully promptly collapsed on the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table.

By the time Mulder made it back downstairs from his last trip delivering purchases to Ashley’s bedroom, Scully was sound asleep.

Mulder approached the couch and gently placed one arm under Scully’s knees and the other behind her neck and turned her so she was lying on the couch. He covered her with the throw blanket from the back of the couch and moved to the kitchen where Ashley was sitting at the table. 

“Hey, Ash? Did you and Dana have lunch?”

“Yeah, we ate lunch in the food court at the mall.”

“Ok, I just wanted to make sure she had eaten something since breakfast, before I let her sleep too long?”

“Because of the baby?”

Mulder paused, trying to judge any emotion behind Ashley's question. “Yeah, she has to eat enough for both of them. She gets really hungry if she doesn't.”

When Scully came to bed last night, she told Mulder about her conversation with Ashley about the baby. He was relieved that Ashley seemed welcoming of the idea. Scully said Ashley seemed interested in helping take care of the baby. Maybe all little girls have those maternal tendencies. He remembered that Samantha was always asking his parents for a baby brother or sister. Every Christmas, every birthday, a new baby for their family always seemed to be on her wish list. Of course, his parents were the type of people who had exactly 2.1 kids, because that was what was expected of them, so having more kids was not an idea they would have truly considered.

“The baby needs a name, you know?” Ashley stated, bring Mulder back from his thoughts of Samantha.

Mulder chuckled. “Yes, I suppose she does. Any ideas?”

“Hmmm. I’ll have to think about it.”

“Ok. Deal. How about, while Dana takes her nap, I show you around outside? I can show you where I’m thinking about planting a garden.”

“Ok!” Ashley hopped up from the table and moved toward the door.

“Still got your shoes on?” Ashley nodded. “Then Let’s go.”

Mulder enjoyed his walk with Ashley. He was continually amazed by how smart she was. As they walked, she told him all about what types of clouds were in the sky and the difference between cumulus clouds and cirrus clouds. She was chatty and charming and her enthusiasm with sharing her encyclopedic knowledge of everyday things reminded him so much of Scully.

“So,” Mulder started, “this is where I’m thinking about planting my garden. Now, what sort of stuff should I plant?”

Ashley shrugged as she kicked at the dirt in front of her feet.

“Squash is supposed to be pretty easy to grow; and tomatoes. I definitely think I’ll try those.”

“What about pumpkins?” Ashley asked. Suddenly a little more interested in this conversation.

“Sure. We could try pumpkins. And watermelons. We could also plant cucumbers and then make our own pickles.”

“I like pickles!”

Mulder smiled as he watched Ashley, who genuinely seemed to be enjoying herself. “I should have brought a pad and pencil to write all of this down.”

“That’s ok," Ashley informed him. "I’ll remember it for you. I have a really good memory. Squash, tomatoes, pumpkins, watermelons, and cucumbers.”

“That’s pretty good. I’ve always had a good memory, too. It fades a little, when you’re old like me. Now, I’ll have to keep around to help me remember things.”

“Happy to do it, Mr. Fox.” She said with that mischievous grin that Mulder was beginning to love.

“Maybe we should head back inside and see how Dana’s doing?”

——————————————

The sound of Scully’s cell phone roused her from her sleep. She quickly noticed that she was laying on the couch, covered with the throw blanket. She must have passed out on the couch after she and Ashley got home from the mall, and Mulder covered her up. Even when she wasn't 3 1/2 months pregnant, her falling asleep at the drop of a hat and Mulder tucking her in, had always been a common theme in their relationship. After taking a few seconds to find her bearings, she grabbed for her ringing phone.

“Scully.”

“Dr. Scully? Dr. Dana Scully?”

“Yes. Who’s this?”

“My name is Dr. Len Nichols. I’m one of the attending physicians at EVMS in Norfolk. I was told to call you with updates regarding one of our patients. Monica Reyes.”

Scully sat up on the couch. “Yes, thank you. I have been in contact with your hospital about her condition for the last couple of weeks. Is there an update?”

“Actually, Ms. Reyes has been deemed stable enough to be moved to a hospital in the D.C. area. The surgery to remove the remaining bullet fragments was successful and she is recovering quite well. She really just needs a few more days of hospitalization to complete her recovery from the surgery and to be monitored for any swelling around her brain. She has been awake and talking and has actually requested to be moved to Our Lady of Sorrows hospital in northern Virginia.”

“That is great news. I actually work for Our Lady of Sorrows, so I can personally monitor her care for the remainder of her inpatient recovery.”

“Well, medical transport is scheduled for this evening. I imagine by the time she arrives, is admitted and settled in, it will be late, but you could certainly plan on seeing her first thing in the morning.”

“I will. Thank you so much, Dr. Nichols. I really appreciate the call.”

“You’re welcome. If you have any questions or need anything else from me, you have the number here."

“I do. Thank you again for letting me know.”

Mulder and Ashley were walking in the front door, just as Scully was hanging up the phone.

“Hey there sleeping beauty. You were on the phone?”

“Yeah. The hospital in Norfolk. Monica is being moved to Our Lady of Sorrows later this evening, so I can go see her in the morning. The doctor said she is awake and alert and doing much better.”

“That’s good news. And I’m sure it's not a coincidence that she chose Our Lady of Sorrows. She knows she'll be taken care of buy the best there.”

Scully smiled softly at Mulder's compliment. "Mulder, once she is feeling strong enough, I'd like to ask her what she knows about William. I told you about seeing her in my vision and her telling me she had been working for the smoking man. I believe she actually was, even though she tried to help us. I just have a lot of question." Scully was speaking almost in a whisper. 

Mulder nodded at her in a way that Scully knew meant he understood how Scully was feeling and that they would talk about it more later. 

"So, Ashley and I were outside scoping out the perfect place to plant our garden."

"You were serious about that?" Scully asked as she smiled at Mulder and shook her head.

"What do you think, Ashley? We can grow a vegetable garden. Can't we?"

Ashley looked at Scully and shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

"Are you two ganging up on me? That doesn't hardly seem fair." Mulder pouted. Just then, he turned toward the sound of tires on their gravel driveway. He turned back to speak to Ashley. "It looks like your furniture is here, so I'm going to show these guys where to put it, and then, maybe, if you stop questioning my abilities as a master gardener, I'll hook up your tv."

"Ok, ok. I'm sure we will do great with the garden," Ashley declared.

Scully was happy to see how well Ashley was settling in and how well she and Mulder got along, but knowing she would be able to speak with Monica drew her thoughts to Jackson. She wondered where he was and if he was safe and healthy. She had to believe that not having had any visions lately was a sign that he was alright and that he would reach out to her when he was ready. In the meantime, she was anxious to learn what she could from Monica.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully visits Monica in the hospital and finally starts to get some answers to questions new and old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the LONG delay in adding another chapter. Life has certainly gotten in my way these past few weeks. I am hoping my next update won't take nearly so long!

On Sunday morning, Mulder agreed to stay with Ashley, while Scully went to visit Monica at the hospital. Mulder assured Scully he would be fine taking care of Ashley alone and had a trip planned for the two of them to the plant nursery to pick out seeds for the vegetable garden they were planning. Scully was a little nervous to leave them, but she felt a strong desire to speak to Monica. She couldn’t help but believe that Monica might have answers to so many questions that Scully still had. Questions about Jackson and about the baby girl she was now carrying. Other than the brief conversation she and Mulder had over speaker phone with her just before Mulder left to find Jackson, Scully had only spoken to Monica in her vision. But in her vision, Monica revealed that she had been working for the Smoking Man and knew about the alien DNA that Scully and her son shared.

“Dana!” Monica greeted Scully weakly but with a bright smile as Scully entered her room at Our Lady of Sorrows.

“Monica. How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad. Considering. I’m just so happy to see you.”

Scully crosses to Monica’s hospital bed and took her hand. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

“Well, I suppose I’ve made some questionable decisions over the past few years, so they were bound to catch up with me eventually.” Monica laughed nervously.

“You mean, working for the Smoking Man?” Scully asked.

“Skinner told you about that?”

“No, actually, I had a vision a few months ago and you told me in that vision.”

“A vision?” Monica asked, surprised.

“Yes, or a really vivid dream. I’m not sure exactly, but you were in it, and you told me about the Smoking Man and that the alien DNA I have provides immunity from the Spartan virus. With that knowledge, I was able to save hundreds of people, Monica. In my dream, you were a hero.”

Monica smiled shyly. “I don’t feel like much of a hero. How is Skinner?”

“He is doing really well. Already chomping at the bit to get back to work. I think he could probably go back to work in two or three weeks if he stays behind the desk, but it will likely take another 8 or 10 weeks before he is fully cleared for any field work.”

“I’m so glad he's going to make a full recovery. I never meant to hurt him or to be used to hurt him.”

Scully looked at Monica and nodded sadly. "You should know, the Smoking Man is dead. Mulder shot him. They found his body at the bottom of the river.”

“I hope that’s true. I really do. That bastard seems to have an issue with dying.”

“He shot my son, Monica. He thought William was Mulder, and that smoking son of a bitch shot him. Why he would do that? In my vision, you told me that the Smoking Man loved Mulder.”

“The Smoking Man thought your son was the key to immortality." Monica began. "If he thought Mulder was standing between him and the thing he wanted most, he would stop at nothing. He is pure evil, Dana. I don't think he has ever truly love anyone besides himself.”

Scully, knew she needed to choose her next words carefully. She wanted to know what Monica knew about her son, but she was still not sure how much she could trust Monica so she didn’t want to reveal too much about Jackson, or her unborn baby or even Ashley. At least not yet. She had even been careful to wear an outfit that wouldn't give her burgeoning pregnancy away.

“They haven’t recovered William’s body, but Mulder and I both saw him fall into the river after he was shot.”

“Your son has amazing abilities, Dana. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was able to survive that.”

Scully frowned slightly at the mention of Jackson's abilities. “We saw some of his abilities, but why? How? We have DNA tests showing that biologically he belongs to Mulder and me, but when we were in Norfolk, the first time, we were told that he was part of something called Project Crossroads.”

“Yes." Monica sat up a little in her hospital bed. "Over the years, there have been variations on the alien-human hybrid project. Most with little success. As with all genetics, while some traits are dominant and others recessive, you can’t be guaranteed which traits will emerge. There is only so much that can be controlled through genetic engineering and even that has evolved a lot since these projects began. Many of the children who were born through the various projects were too alien, like Emily, and wouldn’t survive long. Others were too human and provided nothing of value to the project or the research. Those children, the ones with almost completely human DNA, were easy to filter into the system.”

“The system?” Scully seemed slightly perplexed.

“Foster care, adoption agencies. With little to no alien characteristics, they were simply adopted into families and forgotten.”

“But William?”

“William was special. He was one of the only real successes in any of the projects.”

“So how? How does he have mine and Mulder’s DNA?”

“That is the amazing part, and I just learned all of this very recently. It was why I was seeking you out.” Monica searched Scully's eyes for a reaction.

“Go on.” Scully finally prodded.

“William is your son. William is Mulder’s son. He was conceived like any other child.” Monica smiled and began to blush a little. “But William is also an alien human hybrid.”

“How is that possible? And why did the Smoking Man tell Skinner he was William’s father?”

“The Smoking Man has always considered himself to be William’s creator, because he was responsible for your inclusion in Project Crossroads. So in a way he has always considered William to be his son. But only because he has a God complex - not for any biological reason.”

I still don’t understand how I was able to conceive Mulder’s child “the old fashioned way,” and none of this explains the powers he has.”

“Oh. but it does." Monica began to explain. "When you were attempting to get pregnant though IVF, you were seeing Dr. Parenti. You eventually learned that Dr. Parenti may have had some involvement with the Syndicate, right?” Scully nodded. “Well, you weren’t wrong and that was just the tip of the ice berg. During your IVF treatments, Dr. Parenti wasn’t implanting fertilized embryos in your womb, he was returning some of your ova to your ovaries. Except the ova had been modified to increase the amount of alien DNA. Your DNA already contains some alien DNA, as you know, but for what they hoped to create, William needed to have more alien DNA than what he would have naturally inherited from you.”

Scully’s mind was reeling from this information. “How many ova did they return to me and how would my body know to start ovulating again? It had been four years since my abduction, I’m sure my hormone levels were compromised.”

“Several thousand, as far as I know. The hormones you were taking to prepare for what you thought were the IVF procedures had been modified to include luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, along with estrogen and progesterone. Whatever they gave you must have worked.”

“If I had thousands of ova restored, how did I never get pregnant again. Mulder and I were together for ten years after that, and we never bothered trying to prevent another pregnancy, because we assumed it wasn’t possible.”

“I don’t exactly know the answer to that, but I’m sure once you were no longer getting the extra hormones you had been given during the IVF treatments, your ovulation may have been sporadic. I'm sure your fertility was still compromised, but you wouldn’t have been entirely infertile any longer. In theory, I guess could probably still get pregnant even now. With your chip, you really do have the health and body chemistry of a woman in her 30s.”

Scully felt her blood run cold at Monica’s statement. If what Monica says is true, that would mean that the baby Scully was now carrying was a product of her and Mulder’s reconciliation, which was a relief to know, but it would also mean that this baby could have powers like Jackson’s.

“So the projects stopped after William?” Scully asked apprehensively.

“I don’t think anyone knew for sure exactly how much of a success William had been. At least not for a while. So various groups, even after the Syndicate was gone, continued with alien human hybrid projects for a while. I don’t know if any groups currently conducting any such work, but there were some occurring as recently as 6 or 7 years ago. All the other project have used surrogates. Yours is the only one I know that used natural reproduction.”

“As if there were anything ‘natural’ about any of this.” Scully sighed loudly. “So Monica, if I had gotten pregnant again, that baby would have had abilities like William?”

“I think there’s no way to say. It would still be a generic lottery. If the baby inherited enough genetic traits from their father, they might not be as extraordinary as William.”  
Just as Monica finished speaking, a nurse came in and began checking Monica’s vital signs. Scully could tell that Monica was getting tired and Scully was unsure she could handle anymore information right now, so she took advantage of the interruption.

“That’s enough talking for today, Monica. I can come back and see you again tomorrow, but you should get some rest.”

“Dana, I really am sorry about everything that has happened. I only ever wanted to help you and your son.”

“I believe you. Please, get some rest. I’ll be back again, I promise.”

Monica nodded softly, and Scully turned to leave.

Once in the hallway and out of sight of Monica’s room, Scully slumped against the wall and placed her hand protectively on her abdomen. She took several deep breaths, trying to contain her emotions as she began to process all she had heard. She needed to get home and talk to Mulder. Unfortunately, the person she most wanted to see and talk to right now was Jackson, but she had no idea where he was and she had promised she wouldn’t try to seek him out.  
————————————————  
Scully arrived home to find Mulder and Ashley, at the kitchen table, engaged in what appeared to be a very serious game of checkers.

Mulder looked up from the game as Scully opened the door.

“Hey. How was your visit?” Mulder asked, sensing that Scully was weary.

“It was fine. Interesting. Uhm, I’ll tell you all about it a little later.” Scully approached the table and stood behind the chair Ashley was sitting in. She placed her hand on the top of Ashley’s head and gently stroked her hair. “What have you two been up to?”

“Mostly just hanging out.” Mulder answered.

“Did you get some seeds for the garden?” Scully asked.

“Yeah and Slurpees from 7-11.” Ashley finally piped up.

Scully raised her eyebrow at Mulder. “And Slurpees from 7-11?”

“Oh yeah. It was hot and we were thirsty.” Mulder explained with a grin.

“Um-hm. Ok. Well, I’m going to start dinner. Hopefully, you two will be done with your game by the time I need to set the table.”

“We will,” Ashley started. “I’m already winning.”  
_________________________________________________________________  
After dinner had been cooked, eaten and cleaned up, Ashley went upstairs to watch television in her room and Mulder and Scully sat on the couch to talk. Scully relayed to Mulder all that Monica had told her. Mulder could tell how upset Scully was and although he wasn't sure he could offer much to comfort her, he felt the need to try. "Scully, even if everything she said is true, she is right that there is no guarantee that this baby will be like Jackson, or like Emily - if that is what you are worried about. Right now, we have no indication from your blood test or your ultra sounds that this baby is anything other than a healthy, normal, human baby. And worrying about it, when there is noway to know for sure at this point, can't be healthy for you or the baby. Besides, we have already established that this baby is a miracle provided to us by your God. She will be perfect"  
Scully knew Mulder was right. There was no point in spending the next five months worrying about something you couldn't change or control. And she loved him so much for encouraging and attempting to share in her faith. But she couldn't help but feel that sick feeling she always had when she realized how much of her life and her body has been controlled by these people over the years. Scully leaned toward Mulder and he pulled her into an embrace. Just as she was beginning to relax, after being held by Mulder for several seconds, Scully felt a surge of pain shoot through her head, and she began to see flashes of images. Most of the images flashed by too fast for her to discern, but she vividly saw an image of Jackson, in the sunlight, walking up the gravel driveway toward their house. 

As the pain and images faded, Scully pulled her head back from where it had been resting on Mulder's chest, with a confused expression.

"Everything ok?" Mulder asked.

Just as Scully opened her mouth to tell Mulder about the vision she just had, Ashley came running down the stairs excitedly proclaiming, "Jackson's on his way home. He's finally coming back to see me!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder, Scully and Ashley begin to settle into their new life together. Scully starts having questions about Ashley’s behavior. and the family receives a not so unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so sorry for how long this update has taken. Life got busy for me and my kids at the end of the school year, and I lost my motivation for a bit. I promise the next update won’t take as long!!!

After Ashley had settled down and they had finally gotten her into bed, Mulder and Scully began preparing themselves for bed. Scully emerged from the bathroom fresh-faced and in her pajamas. Mulder, clad only in his boxers, was pulling back the covers and sliding into their bed. Scully stopped mid-room and looked at Mulder contemplatively. 

“Mulder, I had another vision earlier tonight; right before Ashley came downstairs. In fact, I can’t shake the feeling that Ashley and I may have had the vision.”

Mulder’s attention was immediately drawn to Scully’s eyes, as he regarded her with concern. 

Scully took a few steps and sat down on the side of the bed, near Mulder’s feet. 

“On the couch, when you were holding me and my head started hurting. I saw a lot of flashes, and I couldn’t really identify most of what was in them, but then I clearly saw Jackson walking up the driveway to our house.” Scully sighed, attempting to contain her emotions. “Based on the way Ashley acted when she ran into the living room at that exact moment, talking about Jackson coming home, it’s like she saw the same thing I did.”

Slowly and thoughtfully, Mulder began to speak. “Assuming that’s true, that Ashley had the same vision you had, what do you think it could mean”?

“I’m not sure. As far as I knew, I was the only one receiving these visions from him. I just assumed it was because I’m his mother. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he can share visions with anyone.”

“We know he can make anyone see what he wants them to see. Remember Ghouli and the Pick Up Artist?”

“I do. But we only saw him do that to people who were in his presence. I thought the visions were different.”

“Unfortunately, there is a lot we don’t know about our son and what he can do. Maybe you’re reading too much into it. It was probably just a coincidence. Ashley talks about Jackson coming here all of the time. She just happened to mention it again right after you had your vision.”

“Maybe.” Scully was not completely convinced as she stood and crossed to her side and slid into the bed and under the covers.  
————————————————

On Monday morning, Mulder and Scully took Ashley, to the local elementary school to register her for 5th grade. The school district was on Spring Break, but Mulder and Scully wanted to make sure all was set for Ashley to start when school resumed on the following Monday. All of the school records Mr. Malloy had given them were in order, so everything went smoothly with the registration. Afterwards, the three of them had a nice outing, shopping for school supplies and lunch at a burger joint of Ashley’s choosing. In spite of the nice day she was having, Scully couldn’t shake the feeling of unease she’d been having about her vision from the night before and the way Ashley had acted immediately after.

Once they returned home, Ashley went to hang out in her room and Mulder settled into the couch where he found a spring training baseball game on the tv. Scully decided to take advantage of the quiet and start dinner. She thought she might even make a nice dessert to go with it. 

After changing into a pair of leggings and a long fitted t-shirt, Scully turned the kitchen radio on at a low volume and began gathering the ingredients for a sweet potato pie. She had been busying herself in the kitchen for at least a half hour when Ashley wondered back downstairs. Ashley entered the kitchen but didn’t speak. Instead, she listened to the music playing softly on the radio. After several long seconds, Ashley began to dance along to the song. Mulder looked over to see her, just as Scully turned around and noticed her. 

“What are you doing silly girl?” Scully asked her through a bright smile and chuckle. Ashley still didn’t speak, but she just smiled and began to dance more. Scully started laughing at the little girl’s silliness and then began to dance around with her. Mulder was watching them both with interest. He loves to see Scully smile and even more, he loves to hear her laugh. In Mulder’s opinion, little moments of joy like this have been a much too infrequent occurrence for Dana Scully. Wrestling over a cone of tofutti rice dreamcicle, batting practice under the stars, laughing at a screening of the world’s worst movie...she should have had more of that in her life. Hopefully, this new family: him, Ashley and their baby, will bring her the kind of happiness she’s always deserved. As he continued to watch Scully and Ashley dance around the kitchen, Scully’s almost 16 week baby belly very noticeable in her form fitting loungewear, something else struck Mulder. In that moment, from this angle, Ashley reminded him so much of Samantha. It was probably because Ashley was just a little older than Sam was when she disappeared, and all 8 to 10 year old girls probably acted similarly. It was very much like Sam to clown around and act as silly as possible, at least, that is, when she wasn’t picking fights with her big brother. Ashley’s exaggerated, silly dance moves definitely looked like something Sam would have done. But it wasn’t just that. The more he watched her, the more Mulder notices that she even looks a little like Samantha. Something about her profile. Samantha had had dark hazel eyes like Mulder, so looking at Ashley and her bright blue eyes, it would be easy to miss a resemblance. Mulder knew he was being ridiculous and shook himself out of his thoughts. With that, he got up and moved toward the kitchen, where he surprised Ashely by picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder. “Alright, no more distracting the cook or we’ll never eat dinner.” Mulder spun Ashley around a few times and then took her and deposited her on the couch in a fit of giggles. At this point, Scully was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks. Mulder walked back into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Scully’s waist, pulling her into an embrace. “I love to see you laugh,” Mulder whispered in her ear. 

Having mostly composed herself, Scully pulled back to look into Mulder’s face. She saw pure love reflecting back at her from his eyes. She raised up on her tip-toes and softly pressed her lips against his. Mulder kissed her back with more love than he thought it was possible to feel. They separated their lips and pressed their foreheads together. With their mouths still only a centimeter or two apart, Scully whispers “I love you.” Mulder closed his eyes, savoring her words for a moment, before he responded by whispering against her mouth “is that sweet potato pie I smell?”

Scully dissolved into another fit of laughter. 

After a delicious dinner of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans, followed by the homemade sweet potato pie, the threesome decided to pile up together on the couch and watch a movie. Ashley got to pick and decided they would watch Moana. The movie was just about over when they all thought they heard a noise outside the front door. Mulder and Scully looked at each other in concern, still a little leery after the whole ordeal with those Russians a few months back. Ashley on the other hand, jumped up immediately and shouted “Jackson! It’s Jackson!” 

As Ashley bolted toward the front door, Mulder and Scully quickly followed, afraid there could be something or someone dangerous on the other side of the door. As they reached the door, Mulder put himself between the door and his girls and cautiously opened the door. There on the porch of their unremarkable house, stood a haggard and exhausted looking Jackson Van de Kamp. 

Scully pushed her way around Mulder to get outside to the porch. “Jackson, oh my God, are you ok? Come inside, it’s freezing out here.”

As soon as they crossed the threshold back inside the house, Ashley threw her arms around Jackson’s waist. “Jackson! You came. I knew you were going to come.”

Jackson looked down at his sister and placed his hand against her back to return her embrace. “Hey kiddo. I’m happy to see you too.”

“Come, sit. Do you need something to eat or drink?” Mulder led Jackson toward the kitchen table. 

“Some water would be nice. I’m okay. I’m just tired. I walked all the way from the Metro station in Springfield.” 

“That’s over twelve miles. That’s quite a walk. Especially at this time of night.” Mulder sat down across the table from Jackson while Scully placed a glass of ice water in front of him and sat down in the chair next to him. 

“Are you safe?” Scully asked quietly, wanting to touch his hands, but unsure how the gesture would be received, as this was her first really opportunity to be with him when she was able to perceive him aa his true self. 

“I think so.” Jackson answered. “No one has been following me since I left Norfolk. I think everyone who was after me before might be dead. It’s like they’re all gone.”

“As best we can tell, the old man seems to finally be dead... for real this time. You took care of Erica Price and her goons. Mr. Y is gone, thanks to me. I just don’t know if there are others within the Department of Defense who may still have an interest in you.” Mulder explained. 

“I don’t think so. I’ve hacked into their computers again, and I don’t think there’s anyone left that knows about me or Project Crossroads.” Jackson took a large swig of his ice water. “I wouldn’t have come here if I thought there was anyone following me. I wouldn’t put another family of mine in danger.”

Ashley was standing next to Jackson’s chair watching him with interest. “Jackson,” she started, “mom and dad are dead, so I live here with Dana and Fox now.” She leaned in a little closer and whispered to him “they’re your birth parents.”

Jackson gave her another hug. “I know. I’m glad you’re safe, and I’m glad you’re here with them. I’m sure they’re taking really good care of you.”

“Oh, they are. They bought me a smart tv. I can watch YouTube on it. And Fox lets me call him Fox. He makes everybody else call him Mulder, but I think Mulder is a ridiculous name.” Ashley said with a sly smile. 

“More ridiculous than Fox?” Jackson couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey now, you two.” Mulder feigned offense. 

Ashley just smiled and continued filling in Jackson. “Dana said when you came we would make you a bedroom downstairs, because the baby and me have the rooms upstairs and Fox moved his desk out of his office a long time ago, so it can be your room.”

“It sounds like you really like it here, kiddo.”

“Oh, I do. Although, I’m not sure why  
they brought me to live with your birth parents instead of my birth parents, but it’s ok, because they’re great, and I like them a lot.”

Scully, slightly confused by Ashley’s comments, interjected. “Ashley, Mr. Malloy looked for your birth parents first but he couldn’t find your dad and your mom isn’t in a place where she could take care of you. Did Mr. Malloy not explain any of that to you?”

“No, not really. But it’s ok. I don’t think my birth mom ever really wanted me and she probably still doesn’t. But you and Fox seem to want me a lot and Jackson’s here, so I think I’d rather be here anyway.”

There was a lot of wisdom and maturity in those innocent little words. As much as Scully wanted to explain that not all birth parents give up their babies because they don’t want them, but it didn’t feel like the right time. It might ignite a hope in Ashley that would lead to more pain and disappointment and it wasn’t anything Jackson hadn’t already heard. After their one sided conversation in the morgue, Scully believed Jackson understood how much she loved and had wanted him. 

Scully suddenly felt the need to change the subject. “Jackson, we have plenty of leftovers from dinner. Let me fix you a plate.”

“We had chicken. And pie!” Ashley added. 

After you’ve eaten something, Mulder can setup an air mattress in his office  
for you. You must be exhausted.”

From where he sat, Jackson thought that sounded like an offer he couldn’t refuse.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this took so long. Life has been crazy, and I lost my motivation for a while. I am hoping to update more often from here on out.

Much to Mulder and Scully’s surprise and delight, Jackson was still there when they woke up the next morning. Mulder had classes to teach at Quantico on Tuesday, so Jackson happily hung around the house with Ashley and Scully playing board games and watching television. Scully thought it was probably the first time, in a very long time, that he was able to relax and just act and feel like a kid. Although she was trying really hard not to spook him, Scully couldn't help herself from occasionally touching his shoulder or arm lightly, just to make sure he was real. So far, he didn't seem to mind, and the contact with her was probably good for him, too, after being on the run, alone, for so many weeks. 

After the threesome had eaten lunch, and Ashley was showing Jackson her latest Minecraft creation on her iPad, Scully took her cell phone and slipped upstairs to the master bedroom. Ashley’s speech, last night, about her birth mother, had really affected Scully. If only to satisfy her own curiosity, if not Ashley’s, too, Scully decided to seek the truth, so she dialed the phone.

“Skinner.”

“Walter? It’s Dana Scully.”

“Dana? Hi. How are you?” Skinner asked, surprise in his voice.

“I’m doing well. Really well. How are you feeling, sir? I’m told they sprung you from rehab.”

“Yeah, I think they got tired of my complaining. I’m actually back on desk duty three mornings per week.”

“I’m really glad to hear that, sir. Try not to overdo it, though.” Scully's concern was evident, as she gently slipped into doctor mode. 

“How are you and Mulder? Kersh told me you quit the FBI, but that Mulder is actually teaching part time at the academy.”

Scully chuckled hearing the disbelief in Skinner’s voice.

“I’ve got to tell you, that’s not how I saw that playing out.”

“Me neither, Walter. Me neither.”

“Kersh also said something about you and Mulder becoming foster parents?”

“Yeah. That one’s a pretty long story. But it’s good. We’re good.”

“I’m glad.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I actually called for a favor.”

“Oh yeah?”

Scully glanced down at her hand which rested atop Ashley’s foster care file that included Ashley’s birth certificate.

“I need you to find an inmate for me. I know her name is Dawn,  
middle initial M, last name Lykes. Date of birth is 3/30/74 and her place of birth is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I know she’s in prison, but I don’t know if it is state or federal prison, and I don’t know where.”

“That’s not a lot of information.” Skinner mused.

“I know, but it’s all I’ve got right now.”

“I suppose I can see what I can find. One question, though. Mulder still has access to the FBI database. Why not have him look?”

Scully sighed, even though she had expected the question. “He’ll think I’m crazy, and he might try to talk me out of finding her.”

“Who is she?”

“If what I’ve been provided is accurate, she’s the little girl’s birth mother.”

“Why would you want to find her?”

“I’m not sure, but I just have this strange feeling that she may not be who I’m being told she is, or at the very least, there is more to her story than meets the eye. But even if she is the real deal, I’d still like to talk to her. For Ashley.”

“Ok. I’ll call you back with whatever I’m able to find.”

“Thank you, Walter.”

Her next call, before going back downstairs, was to the hospital to check on Monica. She would likely be released before the end of the week, so Scully decided she would try to visit her again before she is released.

————————————————-  
Skinner called Scully back about an hour later. “I found your Dawn Lykes. She’s in a federal correctional facility in Baltimore.”

“Baltimore?” Scully repeated, a little surprised.

“Yeah. She’s nearby. You said you wanted to talk to her, so I took the liberty of scheduling you an appointment to visit her tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m.”

“Thank you, Walter. I really appreciate your help. Tomorrow. That should work. Mulder doesn’t have any classes on Wednesday’s, so he’ll be home with the kids.” Scully said, more thinking aloud, than addressing Skinner.

“Kids?” Skinner asked, startling Scully back from her train of thought.

“Umm, kid. I said kid. Her school is on spring break until Monday.” Scully didn't want anyone, not even Skinner, to know Jackson was there, in case he was still in danger. It was still too soon.

“Alright. Well, if you need anything else. Give me a call.”

“Thank you, Walter. In a week or two, you should come out to the house for dinner. We can fill you in on how things are going for us, and it would be really nice to see you.” Scully said smiling.

“I’d like that.”

“Good. We’ll plan on it. Thank you again for your help.”

————————————————

Wednesday morning Jackson again appeared at the breakfast table of the unremarkable house. It seemed that as long as he felt he was safe and his presence posed no danger to Ashley, Scully and Mulder, he was going to stick around. During breakfast, Mulder mentioned buying him a real bed and Jackson seemed receptive to the idea. This gave Scully an opening. “Well, I was going to go into the hospital for a little while this morning. Visit Monica and check on my office. Maybe you could take Ashley and Jackson furniture shopping, and we’ll all meet back here after lunch to spend the afternoon together.”

Mulder looked at Scully, a little surprised, “ok. I can do that. Are you sure you can’t go with us?”

“Monica is being released later this week, and I’d really like to see her again before she is. Our last conversation was really informative. I wanted to pop in and spend a little more time with her.”

“Hey, Fox?” Ashley suddenly spoke up. “Maybe Jackson should get a smart TV for his room, too.”

Mulder's attention was suddenly drawn from Scully to Ashley. “Ummm, sure. If Jackson wants a TV for his room, I’m sure we’ll be able to find him one.” 

“Just like mine?” Ashley asked, trying to be helpful.

“If that’s what he wants, sure.” Mulder began clearing dishes from the table and putting them in the sink.

As Mulder continued to clean the kitchen, both kids wondered toward their rooms to start getting ready to  
go out.

——————————————-  
Dressed in dress slacks that sat low enough on her hips that they would still button and a sweater set that was long enough to conceal her pregnancy from anyone who didn’t know any better, Scully drove from Farrs Corners toward Baltimore. She had agreed to take the Mustang, so Mulder would have her SUV for transporting the kids and whatever they bought for Jackson’s room. It was becoming clear to both Mulder and Scully that the Mustang was just not practical for them. Scully would have to talk to Mulder tonight about trading it in for another SUV or even a minivan. The thought of Mulder trading in his “mid life crisis car” for a mini van made Scully chuckle out loud. Who could have ever guessed how their lives would change in just a matter of a few weeks.

Lost in her thoughts, the remainder of the drive went by quickly, and Scully found herself parking in front of the Baltimore Federal Prison.

Once inside, she was taken to a visiting area to wait for Dawn. Dawn Lykes was a tall woman, with long blonde hair. Scully knew, from the information Skinner provided, that Dawn Lykes was almost ten years younger than herself, but it is unlikely anyone would know that by comparing them. Dawn looked much older. Years of an unhealthy lifestyle, that probably included excess smoking, drinking and the use of a myriad of illegal drugs had certainly taken its toll.

“Ms. Lykes. My name is Dana Scully. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today.” Scully introduces herself as Dawn came and sat across a small table from her. It was a minimum security prison, so Scully was able to meet Dawn in a large common room, without any barriers.

“I don’t really know what this is all about. They told me someone from the FBI called to make an appointment with me. Are you from the FBI?”

“Not exactly.” Scully explained. “I recently left the FBI. I was a special agent off and on for about 25 years, but I'm actually here for a more personal reason. I was hoping to speak with you about the baby you gave up for adoption.”

“Baby?” Dawn seemed interested in Scully, but a little confused.

“Well, yes.” Scully continued. “A baby girl. Born in 2008 and placed for adoption in Virginia.”

“I don’t have no baby girl. I have two boys, but they’re 22 and 24. One of em’s got a couple kids of his own.”

Even though she had almost expected an answer like this, Scully’s heart dropped into her stomach at Dawn’s words.

Scully was quiet for a few minutes before she began to speak again. “Can I ask you something? Have you ever experienced any missing time. Any amnesia, perhaps. Or have you ever been in a coma or experienced some other kind of extended sleep?” If Dawn wasn’t Ashley’s birth mother, why is her name on her birth certificate. Could Dawn have been Ashley’s “Anna Fugazzi.” Scully couldn’t stop thinking about the things Monica had told her about the alien human hybrid programs and how they had continued even after Jackson's birth.

Dawn seemed to consider Scully’s question. “I may have been on a few benders over the years where I might’ve slept through the better part of a day or two. But nothing longer than that. No comas or nothing.”

“Thank you, Ms. Sikes. I'm really sorry to have bothered you. It appears I may have been working from some erroneous information.” As Scully apologized, she noticed one of Dawn’s long blonde hairs had loosened and was stuck on the sleeve of the sweater she was wearing. Scully reached across the table and touched Dawn’s arm softly and spoke sweetly. “Thank you again for your hospitality. It was nice of you to meet with me, even though you had no idea who I was. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry I wasn’t who you were looking for.” With that, Dawn rose to leave.

Once Dawn had left the common room, Scully exhaled and hung her head. It felt like her suspicions were being confirmed, and she feared what it could potentially mean for Ashley.

Scully stood and walked resolutely to the car. Once inside, she pulled a plastic bag out of the glove compartment and deposited the blonde hair she had clasped tightly between the fingers of her right hand into it.

—————————————

Scully arrived at Our Lady of Sorrows hospital a little after 11:00 a.m. As she was getting her briefcase out of the backseat of the car, she noticed Ashley’s drink from their lunch from two days ago was still in the cup holder. Before going inside, Scully retrieved another plastic bag from the glove box and used it to remove the straw from Ashley’s cup and bring it inside with her.

Being back at Our Lady of Sorrows in a professional capacity felt oddly familiar to Scully as she made her way down the hall toward her new office. Just before she reached her office door, she spotted a familiar face.

“Dr. Scully?”

“Sandeep! It’s so nice to see you. How are you?” Scully greeted the young woman.

“I am doing good. So you’re back?” Sandeep questioned.

“Yes. Starting Monday. I just came by to see my office and start to get things in order.”

“Welcome back, Dr. Scully. If you need anything, please let me know.”

“Actually, Sandeep, if you have just a minute, I could use a favor.” Scully said quietly.

“Sure, Dr. Scully. You name it.”

Scully pulled the two plastic bags out of her coat pocket and handed them to Sandeep. "One bag contains a hair and the other a used straw. I was wondering if you could take them to the lab for me and order a DNA comparison.”

“No problem.” Sandeep replied. “So you want to know if the hair and the straw are related?”

Scully smiled. “Yes, exactly.”

“Ok. I’m on it. Don’t you worry, Dr. Scully.”

Scully felt herself relax in the face of Sandeep’s helpfulness. “Thank you, Sandeep. You can have them call me on my cell phone with the results.”

“Will do, Dr. Scully. See you later.”

Scully waived to Sandeep as she disappeared down the hall.

After working in her office for about twenty minutes and stopping in to see Monica, Scully was back in the car and headed home by 12:30. She felt conflicted about the days events. She didn’t really have any more answers than she started with and was beginning to wonder if maybe she opened Pandora's box.


End file.
